The Hickey Underworld

When Kanye West posted the outstanding video (It’s refreshing to see a great videoclip not trying to be art by using overwrought imagery to do so.) to The Hickey Underworld’s “Blonde Fire” on his blog, the Belgian music scène was amazed. Partly due to Belgium’s underdog nature but at the same time because it was a post hardcore song, a genre not really associated with a big time pop figure like Kanye West.

We start off with a couple of expected moves as Zero Hour sounds just like a self titled post hardcore debut album should; not too far off of Shellac. From then on however, it sounds like with every other song the band learns how to better make a pop-song effectively using mutated waltz patterns to propel their songs forward. It’s here that we find aforementioned Blonde Fire, yet it’s in the next three songs that The Hickey Underworld prove their pop sensibility. Zorayda sounds exactly how an all male east coast Pixies never could. Future Worlds is, however unrealistic it may sound, a post hardcore stadium anthem, including wah-wah guitars, addicting refrain, a break, danceable rhythm and a kind of solo without it being a song that Steve Albini would even consider disliking. This all culminates however in Mystery Bruise, which is as aggressive and good a pop song you’ll find these days, much simpler than Liars and less shoegaze than Fucked Up but finding the same kind of rush of adrenaline as those bands can. Younes Faltakh’s voice is what gives these songs their finishing touch. He’ll never be an accomplished singer, but his progression has been remarkable. He still sounds like Julian Casablancas doing a Dylan impression, but he’s learned to get away with it.

The second half of the album, sees them giving in to the anxiety which was previously subdued. They take all the elements of the previous songs, break them up and cram them in Of Asteroids and men…Plus Addes Wizardy. Blue World Order and URMNSTR (Which receives a subtle and nice synth touch) are deceivingly slow songs, which shows us we’re still dealing with a Belgian band that loves to embrace it’s contrary, self sabotaging nature with rhythms that seem to stumble, melodies that are forced but still work and cut short guitars. Because like most Belgian bands they’ve been schooled by the similarly Antwerp based dEUS, even though they don’t sound alike, it’s become a certain attitude towards songs. Flamencorps is the only song that sees them return to the antics of the first half due to a killer hook, but fits in the more anxious second part with a “Love like you used to, and you won’t love again” paired with “Whose gonna pay the bills of our leaders”. Kind of shabby, yet showing exactly how deep rooted the political and personal frustration have become on this album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkB56z_8nck (The great videoclip)